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UCAR INTERNATIONAL INC.                      Brandywine West, 1521 Concord Pike,
                                                 Suite 301, Wilmington, DE 19803

                                                          N E W S  R E L E A S E

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                 CONTACT: Elise A. Garofalo
                                                  Director of Investor Relations
                                                                    302-778-8227

              UCAR ANNOUNCES $100 MILLION OFFERING OF SENIOR NOTES


         Wilmington, DE - May 1, 2002 - UCAR International Inc. (NYSE:UCR) today
announced that UCAR Finance Inc., its wholly owned special purpose finance
subsidiary, has launched a Rule 144A private offering of an additional $100
million of Senior Notes due 2012. These additional Senior Notes will be issued
under the Indenture relating to the $400 million of Senior Notes issued by UCAR
Finance in February 2002. The offering is expected to be completed in May 2002.
The Senior Notes are guaranteed on a senior unsecured basis by UCAR
International and certain of its U.S. subsidiaries and are secured by shares of
its subsidiary, Graftech Inc., and by certain intercompany notes. UCAR Finance
intends to use the net proceeds from the offering for the repayment of debt
under its senior secured bank credit facilities.

         These additional Senior Notes have not been and will not be registered
under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in
the United States absent such registration or an applicable exemption from the
registration requirements of the Securities Act.

         This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a
solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of, these
additional Senior Notes in any state in which such offer, solicitation or sale
would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities
laws of any such state.

         UCAR INTERNATIONAL PROVIDES NATURAL AND SYNTHETIC GRAPHITE AND CARBON
PRODUCTS AND SERVICES TO CUSTOMERS IN THE STEEL, ALUMINUM, FUEL CELL POWER
GENERATION, ELECTRONICS, SEMICONDUCTOR AND TRANSPORTATION INDUSTRIES.

         NOTE: THIS NEWS RELEASE CONTAINS FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS AS DEFINED
IN THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995. THESE INCLUDE
STATEMENTS ABOUT SUCH MATTERS AS THE EXPECTED CLOSING OF A PRIVATE PLACEMENT. WE
HAVE NO DUTY TO UPDATE SUCH STATEMENTS. ACTUAL FUTURE EVENTS AND CIRCUMSTANCES
(INCLUDING FUTURE RESULTS) COULD DIFFER MATERIALLY FROM THOSE SET FORTH IN THESE
STATEMENTS DUE TO VARIOUS FACTORS. THESE FACTORS INCLUDE POSSIBLE CHANGES IN
CAPITAL MARKET CONDITIONS OR IN THE BUSINESS, PROSPECTS, RESULTS OF OPERATION OR
FINANCIAL CONDITION OF UCAR INTERNATIONAL THAT RESULT IN DELAYS IN OR
TERMINATION OF THE OFFERING OR CHANGES IN THE TERMS THEREOF, AND OTHER RISKS AND
UNCERTAINTIES, INCLUDING THOSE DETAILED IN FILINGS BY UCAR INTERNATIONAL WITH
THE SEC.